1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a content reservation and pickup technique of reserving acquisition of a content via the Internet through an access from a predetermined terminal to one access point and picking up the reserved content through an access from the predetermined terminal to another access point located apart from the one access point.
2. Description of the Related Art
Access points as radio relay stations for a wireless LAN are used as the device of connecting multiple computers at separate locations to the Internet not only in the places where specific people continuously act, such as homes and offices (hereafter referred to as private spaces), but in the places where general public temporarily act, such as hotels, airports, shopping malls, parks, and stations (hereafter referred to as public spaces). One proposed technique connects an access point located in a public space with a broadband line, which ensures high-speed Internet access services, such as an xDSL line or a CATV line, and gives a space for Internet access to the general public in a coverage of radio wave transmitted from the access point (radio communication area). For example, non-patent reference ‘What is Freespot?’ (on-line text), dated Jul. 2, 2002, URL: http://www.freespot.net/index.html by FREESPOT Association) describes the concept of the space. This space is called as a free spot The administrator of the public space is authorized to use a certain broadband line. The broadband line is open to terminals possessed by the respective users of the public space via the access point for the wireless LAN. This enhances the convenience of the user's Internet access and increases the utilization rate of the public space.
The prior art technique, however, takes a rather long time, especially in the case of large data, to pick up a desired content or desired data after connection to the Internet. The user should accordingly stay at one free spot until completion of download of the desired content or data. This is inconvenient to the user who is traveling.
For example, it is assumed that the user who waits for a train at a station having the function of a free spot establishes connection with the Internet via an access point at the station to acquire a desired content. The user may, however, not complete download of the desired content prior to boarding, if the train is coming soon or if the desired content has a large volume. In order to complete the download, the user is accordingly forced to stay at the station with an unintentional delay in the schedule.
The download time of a content at a free spot via the Internet depends upon the traffic of a broadband line open to general public. It is accordingly difficult for the user to estimate the download time. The user may estimate that there is a sufficient time before arrival of the train and establish connection with the Internet. The transfer rate of data is, however, relatively low beyond expectation, and the download may not be completed before arrival of the train.